Along with Bansko and Pamporovo, Borovets is one of the most popular destinations for skiing and snowboarding in Bulgaria. In my opinion it is the best place to go because there aren't many people, especially if you go on my personal favourite slopes Yastrebetz (1,2 and 3), Popangelov and Markudjik (1 and 2). It is near the capital - Sofia, you need an hour and a half or two to get there, so you can leave in the morning and be there by 10am, register in a hotel, guest house or a villa, eat something and be ready to go skiing or snowboarding by noon. You can buy a half-day lift pass which is 25 levas (about 13 euros) on the weekends and you can start using it at 12pm - the lift pass is for all the facilities in Borovets.
I was there this weekend and we stayed at a guest house, where we paid 20 levas (10 euros) per bed for one night, which is cheap, considering we are in the middle of the ski season. It was an amazing weekend, the weather was great, it was sunny, there was a lot of snow, all the slopes were fabulous.
www.borovets-bg.com/en
Google map: bit.ly/y1GnUt
Borovets is a great resort for intermediate skiers with a short quick transfer from Sofia. We stayed in apartments at Pine Ridge, Madjare. It's in an inexpensive and pretty village near Borovets and is much cheaper than the on piste bars in Borovets.
This is a Mexican themed bar and restaurant in the heart of Borovets. The food is great and quite reasonably priced, but the main reason to visit is the atmosphere. The live band, who are known as Sound Forge, are superb. They cover old rock (think Hendrix, Led Zep, Black Sabbath) as well as some more up to date stuff like Oasis and Green Day. The bar staff are also fantastic - the last time I went I ended up behind the bar learning to mix cocktails. Any trip to Borovets must include a drink (or several) here.
Halfway up the hill between the gondola and the Rila square
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